sexual contact – this includes intimate physical contact as well as sexual intercourse

If you become infected by the virus and spots appear on your skin, the virus can also spread to other areas.

It is not known exactly how long someone with MC is contagious for, but it is thought the contagious period may last up until the last spot has completely healed.

Who is affected

MC can affect anyone at any age, but the condition is most common in young children – particularly those aged between one and five.

It is also more common in people with a weakened immune system – either due to a condition such as HIV or a treatment such as chemotherapy.

MC can affect a person on more than one occasion, but this is uncommon.

How MC is treated

In people who are otherwise healthy, individual spots usually clear up within two months. However, it is common for the condition to spread around the body, so it can take up to 18 months or more for the condition to resolve completely.

Routine treatment for MC, particularly in children, is generally not recommended because:

the infection usually clears up on its own

the infection does not normally cause any symptoms other than the spots

the infection does not usually interfere with everyday activities, such as going to work, swimming or playing sports

treatments can be painful and may cause scarring or damage to the surrounding skin

Treatment is usually only recommended for older children and adults when the spots are particularly unsightly and affect quality of life, or for people with weakened immune systems.

In such cases, treatments that may be offered include liquids, gels or creams that are applied directly to the skin, or minor procedures such as cryotherapy (where the spots are removed by freezing them).

In rare cases, the spots can become infected with bacteria, and occasionally the condition can lead to an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis. These complications may need additional treatment with antibiotics to clear the infection.

Preventing MC

Although MC is infectious, the chance of passing it on to others during normal activities is small.

It is therefore not necessary to stay away from work, school or nursery, or to stop doing activities such as swimming if you have MC.

However, you should take some steps to avoid spreading the virus to other people. You should:

avoid squeezing or scratching the spots – as well as increasing the risk of the infection spreading, this can cause pain, bleeding and can lead to scarring

keep affected areas of skin covered with clothing whenever possible – a waterproof bandage can be put over the area if you go swimming

avoid sharing towels, flannels and clothing

avoid sharing baths

Using a condom while having sex can reduce the risk of passing on MC during sexual contact, although this cannot prevent the spread of the virus completely, because it can be passed to nearby areas of skin that are not covered by a condom.

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral infection that causes raised spots to develop on the skin

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Comments

The 9 comments about ‘Molluscum Contagiosum’ posted are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

Anska said on 21 March 2015

It's all very well to say "if you go in a swimming pool, cover up the spots with a waterproof bandage" but if you have a wriggly 7 year old with about 40 of these damn spots, how on earth are you supposed to avoid a secondary infection (which he keeps getting)? I can't bandage all of them up! He'd look like a manic sticker board!! Please help! Anyone got any helpful suggestions please?

Charjlo said on 02 February 2015

My daughter aged 9 had this a couple of months ago, started small then increased the doctor again said just wait for it to go, after they increased I looked for other options. I used silver spray available from health sites etc, sprayed sparingly over area for a week once a day and limited baths to quick washes as the hot wAter seemed to make them worse, after a careful 2 weeks off daily application normally before bed the spots started drying up v quickly, now 4 weeks from application she does not have a single spot or scar, she never picked them and I covered them up best I could with trousers,cardigans etc, I wanted to let people know this worked for us and read up on alternative treatments, who knew colloidal silver spray was magic! Daughter v happy and this painful and annoying condition is gone!

Barner85 said on 07 January 2015

I first noticed molloscum lumps in my pubic area in September and they quickly spread until I had around 150 small and medium sized lumps by mid-October.

I stuck to the advice I was given by a doctor and that I read a lot on pages sic as this one: to keep the area clean, avoid disturbing the lumps and wait it out. As the lumps began spread to my genitals and above my waist line I lost patience with this approach.

I bought some Iodine, Savlon, tweezers and cotton balls. I started slowly with one lump. I washed the area with Iodine, squeezed the lump and removed it with tweezers. It bled quite a bit but I stopped the bleeding with cotton balls and lots of Savlon. I continued to apply Savlon regularly while the area healed. The initial red scab faded to a small scar, which in that area I do not mind.

From then on I removed around five lumps per day in the same way. It has taken a month to remove all of the lumps. I now check daily and remove any new ones as they appear. There a two or three every few days. I plan to continue doing this indefinitely or until they disappear altogether.

There is a definite risk of infection with this approach. I was very diligent to use a lot of Iodine and Savlon and I have experienced no infection at all. It is a little painful and there is quite a lot of blood. At times I had dig around to make sure to get all of the white core of the molluscum out. I don't mind scars because they will be hidden where I had the lumps. Elsewhere on the body this could be an issue.

Beren said on 21 August 2014

I've had these spots for over six years now! I've had all the various treatments, all to no avail. I've seen three dermatologists, who all say that the spots will eventually go away, but they can't say when.

meganily said on 17 January 2014

Hi, I am 14 years old and have had MC for over a year now, and I have also had eczema for about 9 years. The spots have just started to go away, but they seem to bleed heavily without being picked. The ones that are gone have made medium-sized scars. I was wondering whether:1) There was a cream or gel etc that I could use to get rid of the scars2) There was a way to get rid of the remaining ones without treatments cryotherapy or heat lasers (because you have to be over 15 to do them)Any help/advice would be great!Thanks!

Wizzy0012 said on 24 August 2013

My 3 three old recently had this. It started with a small skin coloured spot on her neck which I though was a mole then more appeared on her neck and I though they were skin tags. The GP knew immediately it was MC which I had never heard off. He said it was classic MC and not to worry they wouldclear up after 12 - 18 months on there own and it was best to leave them to run their course. I wasn't happy to leave it and worried about them spreading further as isolated ones appeared on back of leg and shoulder. I applied tea tree oil to each one using separate clean piece of cotton wool and at bed time covered each one with a small piece of micropore tape folding over to make a tab at the end so they could be removed quicjly and easily (the tabs are important as without them its hard to remove the tape and caused my daughter some distress but with the tabs no problem and she could remove them herself). I would not use duct tape which I saw recommended. It only took 2 weeks and the MC has gone leaving a couple of small fading red marks.

Schnicks said on 24 March 2013

To harasB - thank you so much for your tip - I have been reading about this and my 8 yr old has had it for around 2 years now. I have been getting worried as most information suggests it should clear up on its own within 18 months. I am definitely going to try some supplements to see if it helps. I'll let you know how we get on! Thanks again!

harasB said on 19 September 2012

Our 4 year old has had this since a couple of months old, spreading slowly and becoming very red, sore and unsightly on the inside arms, back and knees. Doctors said it would clear up naturally but it was proghressively getting worse. Did some research on viral diseases and the immune system. Although our daughter has a very good, healthy diet we introduced a zinc, vitamin C supplement and also a fish oil supplement. Literally within days the spots had dried up. Redness stopped and no new spots appeared. We have kept up the supplements and the skin is healing and now just has a few scars. You would not know she had MC at all. Thought I'd share this as it may help others.

eja007 said on 19 August 2011

My 5 year old has had MC for well over a year now and the spots are aroun his gential area and often become infected. He swims every Monday and I think i should stop him siwmming or at least maybe get him to wear one of the sun protection suits until it goes away as he could be getting inffected or infecting others. Is this correct?